Mega Man 3
Complete Walkthrough
Version 1.0
By Jason Venter
jasonventer[at]yahoo.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
After the success that was Mega Man 2, Capcom must have had a hard time
deciding where to go next with the blossoming franchise. In the end, they
chose the route taken with Mega Man 3. Everything is bigger, more
challenging, and more complex. Whether or not you think it's better than its
predecessors, the game has a huge variety of things to offer, making it a
terrific subject for a walkthrough by yours truly. Just do yourself a favor
and consult it only when necessary; you'll enjoy the game more that way.
==========
The Basics
==========
The NES Mega Man titles are famous for allowing you to tackle the first
stages in any order you like, and that's the case once more. Though you have
complete freedom for the first eight stages, and for various portions beyond,
I recommend that you follow the order outlined in this walkthrough for the
highest success rate. Some of the monsters pack quite a punch, and you'll
want to be ready.
Since Mega Man 2, the blue bomber has acquired a new bag of tricks. The
first of these is the ability to slide. If you press and hold 'down' on the
controller while jumping, he'll slide instead of jumping. If you have a
sticky controller like me, sometimes you'll slide right into pits without
even knowing you were pressing the 'down' button. Be careful.
The item system has also changed slightly. You now have a robotic canine as
a companion. His name is Rush, and he can change between a springboard, a
submarine, and even a jet. As you might expect, the last two of these
abilities is unlocked when you defeat various robot masters.
Finally, an added four stages stand between the eight robot masters and Dr.
Wily's castle. These are remixes of stages that already are familiar to you,
but they're much tougher. You get to fight modified clones of the eight
robots from Mega Man 2 now.
That's about all you need to know for the basics, but you may also be
interested to hear that this game will let you cheat like crazy.
==========
The Cheats
==========
Unlike Mega Man 2, the third outing for everyone's favorite blue bomber is
loaded with different cheats you may use to make things simpler. It's even
possible to work around with the password system so that you can create the
password that pleases you from scratch. Look elsewhere for that, but here's
a quick briefing of the cheats you may find appealing (for the best
experience, of course, don't use any cheats).
High jumps
Mega Man can jump the height of the screen if you hold 'right' on the second
controller. Use this trick also to jump out of bottomless pits.
Freeze enemies
If you hold 'up' and 'A' on the second controller, many larger enemies will
be frozen. So will Mega Man, but you can jump left or right, and also fire
the arm cannon. This does not work on Magnet Man.
Invincibility
This trick is difficult to pull off, but possible. Start by working through
a level to an area where there are lots of enemies near pits. Now, get
knocked by an enemy so that you flash as you fall back into a pit. Just
before Mega Man's death is finalized, as the life gauge empties, quickly
press and hold 'right' on the second controller. Timing is tricky, but if
you did it right you will be able to jump back out of the pit and will be
impervious to enemy attacks until you pick up an item that refills a portion
of your life meter. I believe spikes may still harm you.
Easy Energy Tanks
Starting a new game and intimidated by how powerful the robots are? Just
enter a red dot in the password grid under A-6 and you'll start with nine
energy tanks. Those should help you tackle anything the robot masters throw
your way!
Good with the cheats? Glad to hear it! Let's get going on the actual game.
=======
Top Man
=======
Top Man's domain appears to be nestled in some sort of toy factory, so far as
I can tell. This is a great level to serve as your introduction to Mega Man
3, and embodies all that makes the game great.
Begin by heading to the right. Here, enemies materialize out of thin
air. Wait for the two halves to fly together and for the newly-constructed
robots to glide toward you, then take them out with single shots from your
arm cannon. Another threat in this area comes in the form of mechanical
rabbits. Like the other robots, they fall to one good shot from the arm
cannon.
When you come to the ladder, climb down but make sure you don't drop to the
bottom of that screen. Instead, fire left from your vantage point. If
you're far enough down the ladder, your shots will hit the robot to your left
in the head, and you won't have to brave the stairs while he is sending out
small tops. When the way is safe, go ahead and climb up those stairs and
descend the ladder to the next screen.
Here you can collect tiny energy capsules if you need them, then drop down
the next ladder. In the next room, the floor is lined with spikes. Not good
to touch. There's also an enemy that will materialize in this room. If he
bumps you off a ledge, you should be invulnerable long enough to hop from the
spikes and onto the lower ledge, then from there to the safety of the ledge
on the screen's left side. Descend that ladder into the next room.
This next corridor has hardhat enemies that ride dozers. If you just stand
and shoot, the blades will deflect your fire. Instead, jump and shoot the
operators. Three direct hits will take them out and allow you to proceed
down the corridor to the next ladder.
Climb down this ladder and you're in another room with our top-spewing
friend. This time you must fight. The tops will vanish easily with shots
from your arm cannon, and he only sends out three at a time, so keep that in
mind as you hop up toward the left and take the fellow out. Then climb down
the ladder into the next room.
Here you get to fight a giant, mechanical cat that sends out bouncy balls of
damaging pink aura. They look like yarn, but will harm your armor a lot
more. Around six to ten hits from the arm cannon will cause cat and balls to
vanish, and you can climb down the next ladder.
Drop down to the lower ledge in this room, and head right up another
staircase guarded by the top-spewing fellow that by now should be so very
familiar. Next you'll see the black background that indicates another of the
mechanical cats. This one is easier to defeat than the one that came before,
as the balls don't bounce about quite so much. Push past the cat and climb
the ladder to the next room, which is a bit more dangerous.
Above you, there are four blocks. On one rests a hardhat enemy, which will
drop down to attack as you come within sight. When it lands, defeat it and
then hop onto the lowest of the two right blocks. From there hop left to the
block the hardhat occupied, left again to the next block, and left again to
the ladder. Do so carefully, or you'll plummet to the instant death the
spikes below offer.
Once you've climbed the ladder, you're in a room where the top-spewing robot
makes his final appearance. Slide under the low roof to your right, then hop
back around and shoot any tops in the way before sliding under the next
ledge. Now you're free to hop up and right to dispose of your
nemesis. Continue right and you'll come down a staircase that overlooks a
wide, bottomless expanse.
Tops rise out of this pit, or fall from the skies, and you'll have to use
them to cross the gap. It's easiest to start by jumping from about the
halfway point on the staircase, out to the first top. From there, none of
the jumps you'll have to make should be particularly taxing, so long as you
keep moving to the right. When you reach the other side, you'll find the
gate leading to the encounter with Top Man.
-------
Top Man
-------
This guy really isn't that hard to finish off with the arm cannon. When he
first appears, he'll toss three tops up into the air. Fire as many shots as
you safely can, but be prepared to jump the tops when they whiz toward your
location where you are standing.
Once the tops are jumped, Top Man will spin more quickly in preparation for a
dash across the screen. During this time, he is invulnerable. When he's
spun for a while, start toward the right and leap him as he flies
across. The most damage he can do is if he strikes you with his body while
spinning.
When he's passed underneath, quickly turn and start firing. He'll be
vulnerable again, and will send out three more tops. Hit him a few times,
then slide quickly to the right so the tops miss you. Then be prepared as he
spins across the screen toward you. For the duration of the battle, just
keep switching sides of the screen as necessary, sliding under the tops at
the last minute so you get more shots in with your arm cannon. Easy.
Password: A-3 (red), C-5 (red)
==========
Shadow Man
==========
In a world of darkness and lava lurks Shadow Man, the robot master who will
fall most quickly to your new spinning powers. He's also cool in that his
special weapon is useful. This stage can get quite challenging near the end,
but it's really not a long trek if you move quickly and are patient for the
last series of death-defying jumps.
The first thing you should do is walk off the ledge to your right, which will
drop you down to the next screen. You'll slip past an enemy that is sitting
on a ledge at the center of this area, then land on a ledge just
below. Quickly drop off to your left and you'll avoid taking any
damage. It's not worth your time to shoot this enemy.
In the next screen, you'll immediately want to look right, where mechanical
rabbit-like creatures are hopping toward you. One shot kills them, but
they're good at avoiding your arm cannon fire. Take them out as you proceed
to your right. Just past the robots, there's a bulldozer operated by a
hardhat foe, just like the ones you saw in Top Man's stage. Three hits does
the job here, just like it did before.
Beyond the bulldozer, you'll find a pit that drops you into a room with a
nemesis new to the series, Proto Man. This fellow is like a boss
robot. Since you've probably not taken any hits up to this point (or at
worst, minimal damage), you may choose to get lazy and just hang out on the
right side of the screen, pumping arm cannon shots at Proto Man as he hops
about until he takes enough damage and flees the scene. He'll leave behind a
blast that makes a hole in the floor, and you'll now be able to drop down it
to a lower portion of the stage.
From this new landing, push toward the right. This next area is pretty easy,
inhabited by robots that look like giant eyeballs with legs. They use
suction cups to crawl along the ledge, and are easily disposed of with a few
arm cannon shots. A more dangerous foe is the guy that looks like a walking
grenade. Take him out with an arm cannon shot as quickly as
possible. Finally, the area will be messing with your vision. Holographic
bulbs hang on the ceiling and drape the area in darkness. There aren't yet
any bottomless pits, so just keep pressing to the right, defeating enemies
and jumping as you find barrier obstructing your progress (you can also use
shots to take out the bulbs, but it hardly seems worth the time and effort).
When you drop down at the end of the long hallway into the pit leading to the
room below, you're now at the most difficult part of the area. Drop down to
the lower level in this room and head right, disposing of enemies along the
way. You'll soon come to a pit of bubbling lava.
Narrow ledges form a partial bridge across this area, but you'll soon find
that enemies parachute down and zig-zag toward the narrow ledges. You can
use three shots to take out these fellows, then hop to the next ledge, but
they have a tendency to bump into you and knock you back into the molten soup
if you're not careful. Be sure to get in your shots as they're swinging
briefly away from you, and don't stand too near the left side of a given
ledge or just a slight impact can be instant death.
When you make it across the series of ledges, your life meter is likely quite
low. Be prepared for a rabbit that will leap at you in an attempt to
decimate the rest of your waning health. One shot will take care of it, and
then you can continue right again while dragonfly enemies swoop down. These
guys follow a simple pattern you can manipulate to avoid damage. First they
drop down slightly from the top of the screen, zip left, then drop again to
Mega Man's level, and fly toward him. Rather than engaging them with arm
cannon fire, it's almost simpler (and safer) to hop and avoid them.
Past the dragonfly robots, you'll find the gate that leads to the encounter
with this area's robot master.
----------
Shadow Man
----------
Shadow Man isn't terribly difficult, since you have Top Man's ability. He
dashes around the area, throwing shadow blades that you can easily hop
over. Do so, then move in close and jump toward him. Just before you hit,
tap and briefly hold the top spin. The impact will take down around a fourth
of Shadow Man's life meter.
From there, you might as well just keep moving in for the kill. Trying to
avoid his shots and such will only give him more opportunity to damage
you. Keep the attack on the offensive and he'll run out of life well before
you do. You'll gain not only his (amazingly) handy blades, but also the Rush
Marine adaptor.
Password: A-3 (red), C-5 (red), D-6 (red)
==========
Magnet Man
==========
The metallic, barren wasteland that serves as Magnet Man's stage brings with
it a number of challenges that are likely to lead to some serious
frustration. However, a patient blue bomber can breeze through the stage in
hardly any time at all.
Begin your assault by heading to the right. Here, you will find a series of
ledges and a few bottomless pits. Before making each jump, note that robotic
insects carrying magnets are fond of flying over the area. The magnets can
pull you slightly off your course, and it's easy to wind up plopped into a
pit if you're not careful. A good strategy is to clear them out before
making each jump, then get to the middle of a safe ledge as the next passes
overhead and tries to drag you to your death. This way, it's easy to break
free of the magnetic charge and proceed.
The ladder you'll soon reach leads to another encounter with Proto Man, who
will fall just as easily here to arm cannon shots as he did elsewhere. When
the pit opens up, drop down to the next room and head right.
The spring-like robot here has a red cap over its head, and sends out blue
missiles that are magnetically drawn to Mega Man. You can shoot the missiles
to destroy them, but it's likely better just to avoid those until you've
focused enough shots at their source that it explodes. Then take out any
remaining missiles and continue toward the right.
When you climb down the next ladder, you'll have to take out some of the
giant, suctioned eyeballs to climb the stairs left, then drop down that
ladder into the next room. Here, head right and you'll find more suctioned
eyeballs as you ascend some steps, then descend more to find the next ladder.
There's a gap between the ladder and the ledge you can use to reach it, so
drop down that gap and press left. In the room below, you'll land on a ledge
with small energy capsules. Collect them and work left to the ladder at the
bottom left corner of the room. Climb down that and you're to the most
challenging portion of this particular stage. What you're greeted with now
is a series of four rooms with disappearing/reappearing blocks that you
likely remember from previous Mega Man titles.
To progress through each room, you'll want to note the patterns that the
blocks follow. There are magnetically charged fans throughout, as well, and
a few bottomless pits. Not pleasant stuff.
In the first room, the blocks disappear and reappear in the approximate order
and locations indicated in the chart below:
| [8] __
| |
| [4] [7] |
| |
| [5] |
| |
| [1] [3] [6] |
| |
| [2] |
| |
| |
|____________________________|
The rest of the rooms that follow are much simpler in terms of their
patterns, but there is the afore-mentioned pressure from the fans to
consider. In the second room of disappearing/reappearing blocks, start with
the lower right of the two blocks that appear simultaneously, ignore the
second block that appears, then jump quickly to the third one just before the
block you were standing on vanishes. From the third, watch as the fourth
block appears, and ignore that one. Just before your new foothold
evaporates, jump to where the final block appears.
The next two rooms are really simple, so long as you keep moving once you
start and jump to compensate for the magnetic pull. When you're across the
bottomless pits, climb up the ladder to the right. It leads up past energy
items in the rooms to your left, up to a new room where a robot is perched on
a ledge over some spikes. Hop to a platform left of the ladder, and from
there fire a few shots to take out the robot. Now cross safely over to the
ladder on the room's upper left side.
Climb that ladder and you're in another room with a red-capped spring that
sends out magnetic missiles. Take it out the same way you did its brother,
then head right through the gate that leads to this area's robot master.
----------
Magnet Man
----------
Magnet Man can be a real pain in the butt if you don't have the Shadow
Blade. However, you do have the Shadow Blade, so things will be easy.
His basic attack pattern is to run toward you, then hop up to the ceiling and
from there fire magnetic missiles. When he's approaching you, try and get in
a hit or two with the Shadow Blade. When he leaps to the ceiling, get under
him, then jump up and toss blades upward. They should just reach the robot,
enabling you to get in another two hits.
Now he'll drop back down and try and suck you in with his magnetic
pull. Avoid that until he's tired of the tactic, then hit him with more
blades as he heads to a new perch on the ceiling. Repeat your attacks from
beneath that worked so well, and Magnet Man should now be finished.
Password: A-3 (red), C-5 (red), D-6 (red), F-5 (red)
========
Hard Man
========
The mountainous crags in the background are nothing compared to the winding
labyrinth you must traverse in order to reach the end of Hard Man's domain.
From the start, head right along the rocky canyon, watching for giant, bee-
shaped robots that bombard you with their little ones. You can't hit the
hives as they drop, but you can shoot the four bees that will emerge. They
often leave behind power-ups, but sticking around to fight them all may well
drain your life meter. Better to keep moving, when possible, and shoot the
little bees from a safe distance.
Past that particular hazard, you'll find green-colored ledges pressed against
the rocky surface that coats the stage. These green panels are traps. Stand
on one for long at all and steel jaws will snap on Mega Man, dealing quite a
hefty amount of damage. Hop over them, or slide.
Through a narrow space just beyond that first set of three traps, you'll find
a ladder leading up to three more traps. A ladder hangs above them, while a
large energy capsule is nestled against a wall to the left. Grab the energy
if you need it, then climb the ladder up to the next room. Here you will
find a robot swinging a mace-like object. He's invulnerable except for when
the projectile is thrown. There are a few ways to hurt him, but don't be
tempted to use your magnet shots; you'll need those for the boss encounter at
the end of the stage. Instead, note that you can stand to his diagonal lower
right, then throw shadow blades at an angle when he is open for damage. Once
the robot is vanquished, use the Rush Coil ability to hop onto that ledge,
and from there to the ladder that leads into the next room.
Here, you'll find a hallway with the ape-shaped robots you may remember from
Mega Man 2. Instead of narrow scaffolding over a forest, they now jump to
the ceiling and will attack you from there. Shadow blades are again the way
to attack. Three hits or so will disable each ape. Proceed right past
those, and up a long ladder (if you need to stop along the way, you can take
out the robot that guards an energy capsule from the safety of the ladder;
you can actually find the perfect place to rest that will enable you to shoot
him while his projectiles fly just barely over your head).
Once you've climbed the tall ladder, there's another ape to take care of with
a shadow blade, then another ladder that leads up to the next portion. Here,
you can drop down and slide under a green barrier to the right. In the
following hall, you'll find a bulldozer enemy that you must hit with a few
quick shots from the arm cannon. Press right beyond that and hop onto the
next ledge. Climb up and take out another bulldozer, then beyond him you can
obtain your first energy tank! This will certainly come in handy later in
the game.
With the energy tank collected, climb up the ladder and take out the hardhat
that you'll find in the next room. Then climb another ladder and you're in
another canyon. A series of the traps lines the area ahead, so you'll want
to press to the right and keep moving while taking the least damage
possible. At the end is a ladder that drops down into a new room.
This room plays host to another battle with Proto Man, and he's more
difficult now thanks to the addition of raised ledges in the center of the
room. You'll have to navigate those while working to take him out. Remember
that you can slide under a good number of his jumps. Take the least damage
possible, and when the battle ends a hole will appear at the center.
Drop down that hole and you're in a room with a giant robot that takes large
jumps. Let him take one jump toward you, then get near where he stands so
that when he jumps again, you can slide under him and rush to the gate that
leads to the encounter with the area's robot master.
--------
Hard Man
--------
The fight with Hard Man can be a challenging one. Considering how low your
life meter is likely to be, it would probably be best to die your first life
on purpose, if you have any others remaining. That way, you can save your
special weapon energy for the next round.
When you have a solid life meter, the battle is a simple matter of
duration. Hard Man begins by firing knuckle-shaped missiles that will head
toward Mega Man, hit a wall, then from there fire back toward him. It's
almost impossible to avoid all these shots, but you should try your best
while keeping an eye on Hard Man.
Hard Man himself likes to jump into the air above you, then plummet downward
to strike. Make sure you don't let his body bump into you in the middle of
such a move, or you'll take a lot of damage. And of course, as you are
moving around the chamber to avoid the robot and his missiles, you should be
countering with your own magnet missiles. Hit him with a few of those (space
them out, as they don't seem to do much damage when used in rapid succession)
and Hard Man will bite the dust.
Password: A-3 (red), C-4 (red), D-6 (red), E-4 (red), F-5 (red)
=========
Spark Man
=========
A dull gray interior filled with electric traps, bottomless pits, and spike-
covered ceilings serves as the lair for Spark Man. This stage is one of the
most difficult of the initial eight, and you should be prepared for a few
frustrating moments between its start and its conclusion.
From the very start, you'll have plenty of enemies to worry about. On the
ledge above, one of the suctioned eyeballs works left and right. If you wait
for it to fall, it never will. Instead, take the proactive approach and
quickly ascend the ladder, then fire a few shots before the guy can hit
you. Now climb the ladder to the left, which leads up into a new corridor.
Move to the right and you'll notice gray, chimney-shaped patterns in the
ceiling. Robots will emerge from these. They look like plugs from a VCR or
something. Every so often, they'll pause in mid-air and fire shots in eight
directions. The safest place to be is just to the right of the space
directly beneath the robot at the time it fires, as one shot will then pass
just to your left and another just to your right.
Avoid these fellows and their shots as you make your way to the right (cross
the single bottomless pit with caution; no good having a spark knock you to
your death). Along the way, there are security panels that slide about and
occasionally send out walls of electricity. You must time your jumps so that
you pass through when there's no electrical charge, or you'll take some
damage.
When you reach the end of the hall, a ladder will take you up to the next
room. The guy that occupies this area should be familiar by now, so take
your time hitting him whenever he doesn't have his projectile whirling about
as a shield. When he's gone, climb the ladder into the next hallway.
You're now at one of the stage's more challenging points. Head right and
you'll see a bottomless pit. There are red ledges with arrows that point
upward, toward a spike-lined ceiling. You must cross the pit by using those
ledges. Whenever you step on one, it starts rocketing toward the
ceiling. They move so fast that if you delay for long, you'll be high enough
in the air that a jump will puncture your armor on the spikes. Jumping too
soon without enough distance will send you into the pit. Either way, it's
dangerous. Therefore, you'll want to make a series of rapid, well-timed
leaps to get across the pit.
Once you reach the other side, you're still not out of the woods. There are
some narrow ledges here, again lined by the security panels that like to
generate those walls of electricity. Time your jumps carefully yet again, so
that you pass through and can climb the ladder up to the relative safety of
the next room. Here, there's a bulldozer you must disable with three arm
cannon shots, and you can also use the Rush Coil ability to hop up to an
energy refill on the ledge above.
When you're ready, go ahead and climb the ladder to the left, then walk to
the right and drop down a long, vertical pit that takes you up to the level's
single checkpoint. With that done, press onward to the right. In this
hallway, there are more of the chimney-like pipes, but they don't send out
the plug-shaped enemies. Instead, they drop enormous boulders that can
instantly crush you if you're careless. Move near each, wait for a boulder
to fall, then hop over it and run to the next such pipe. There are three of
them, and just beyond lies the most challenging portion of the stage.
You are now at an even wider, bottomless pit. Again, spikes line the
ceiling. Again, you'll have to use the red platforms to cross. However,
there's a new wrinkle: the enemies that populated the first portion of Top
Man's stage choose here to make their reappearance. The best technique seems
to be to walk to the edge of the first ledge overlooking the red blocks,
shoot the robot that will materialize, then hop like crazy across the pit,
lingering on the red ledges no longer than necessary, jumping to the next
before the robots overhead have time to materialize fully.
There's good news, though. When you get to the opposite side of that gaping
pit, you'll be able to take a few steps and enter the gate that leads to the
stage's robot master. Whew!
---------
Spark Man
---------
As robot masters go, Spark Man isn't much to talk about. He takes slow hops
toward you and sends out burst shots that fire in eight directions. The
sparks and contact with the robot master himself both do a fair amount of
damage, but you have an ace up your sleeves.
That ace is the shadow blade attack. Around twelve direct hits from this
weapon will put an end to Spark Man's nefarious ways. If you work quickly,
he'll only drain around a third of your life meter before the battle
ends. He probably won't even have time to cross the screen properly. If he
does, just work to his right and finish him off from the central ledge.
Note that, as usual, it's better to take a hit from the robot's weapon, then
move through him while invulnerable than it is to come in direct contact with
the robot himself. When you win, you'll have the spark shock as a new option
in your inventory. Sounds like just the thing to take out a certain
reptilian robot that shall go unnamed, wouldn't you say?
Password: A-3 (red), C-4 (red), E-4 (red), F-4 (blue), F-5 (red)
=========
Snake Man
=========
When he went to get some interior decoration for his lair, Snake Man appears
to have taken his name to heart. The entire stage is made up of the bodies
of giant snakes, save for the last third of it or so, which just hangs in the
air over clouds. It's a fun level to navigate, but dangerous if you don't
keep up your guard.
As usual, start by heading to the right. You'll encounter some fairly simple
enemies here, the first of which is a bouncing gray fellow that will fall to
a single shot from your arm cannon. There's also a miniature snake
pillar. Two shots to the head will put it out of commission, but be prepared
to dodge any bullets it may spew.
Continuing along the hall, you'll encounter more of the same foes, until you
reach a ladder leading up to the next room. Here, there are three of the
snake heads in a diagonal row. Take them out carefully, then climb the
ladder located at the room's upper left corner. This leads up to a rather
enormous snake column.
From the top of the ladder, head left slightly, then turn to face the
monster. It sends out bursts of two or three fireballs, which you'll want to
jump while returning fire of your own from the arm cannon. The writhing
floor will solidify once the head is disposed of, and you can proceed safely
to the right, to a ledge overlooking a gap and two miniature snake columns
extended upside-down from the ceiling. Wait until they've fired so that it's
safe to jump, then leap to the ledge to your lower right.
Once on solid footing again, proceed right. There's another snake column not
far to the right, just beyond a ladder that leads up to some energy
capsules. Defeat it, then descend the next ladder, and from its base head
left then drop to the lower portion of that screen.
Now it's time to head right again, where you'll encounter enemies that look
like they're carrying miniature vacuums. They use these as shields, then
vault over your head and try to charge you from behind. As they pass
overhead, a single shot from the shadow blade can take them out, but you
might want to save that for the level's boss. If so, instead just take
things slowly. When the robot leaps overhead, be prepared for it to land, so
that you can jump it when it charges and then destroy it with a few shots
from behind.
There are two or three of the vaulting fellows before a ladder that leads up
to the next room, where a robot is swinging its mace. Hit it when it's
weakened (or stand below it and throw up some shadow blades, if you prefer),
then use the ledge it stands on to reach the ladder to the upper
right. Climb that and you can collect random goodness from the canisters
before dropping back down, defeating the robot again, and climbing the ladder
to its upper left.
This ladder leads to the second of the giant snake columns, and you'll
dispatch of him the same way you did the previous one. From there, continue
right and take a long leap over a wide pit, which finds you at the base of
three gray towers. Climb the furthest one to the right after avoiding the
vaulting robots, and at the top of that tower turn left. There's a robot
patrolling the ladder there, so take out the robot, leap to the ladder, and
climb to the top of the center column.
From here, you now have to work over a series of treacherous jumps that for
the most part hang over a bottomless pit. The first jump you'll take is to a
solid ledge, and from there you will see ledges with grating. When you stand
on these, they send up chariots you can ride. Be careful not to stand on the
edge of any of these ledges, but rather toward the center; stand on the edge
and you'll be pushed to your death when a chariot emerges.
Using the chariots, you'll want to proceed cautiously to the right. Along
the way, cloud-encased bullets glide lazily toward you and will knock you
from your perch if given the opportunity. Shoot them to dissipate the
clouds, at which point the bullets will move more speedily across the
screen. This is a good way to get them out of your way if needed.
Eventually, you'll run out of the ledges that produce chariots. The last few
jumps must be made over a series of the narrow green blocks, and you'll have
to proceed with caution if you're to avoid being knocked to your doom. One
bit of advice is to never be struck while on the far left side of a
ledge. Instead, if you see a blow you can't avoid, try and be on the right
side so that as you're knocked back, you don't lose your footing entirely.
When you reach the other side of that dangerous gauntlet, you'll be at the
gate leading to the area robot master.
---------
Snake Man
---------
This squirmy fellow is one of the toughest robot masters in the game. Though
you can try using your newly-acquired spark shock against him, it doesn't
seem to do a lot more damage than the arm cannon. A much more effective
weapon is the shadow blade.
However, even the shadow blade won't bring the fight to an end so quickly as
you might like. You'll have to use the small measure of safety afforded by
the tall central ledge at the room's center for all it's worth. If Snake Man
jumps to that perch, he'll from there make another long jump in the general
direction he's headed, which means he'll pass over your head if you're in the
right position.
Getting in the right position is dangerous, though, because Snake Man also
sends out his search snake attack, which consists of two serpentine missiles
that slide along the ground until they come in contact with something. If
you have an energy tank or two, this battle would be a good place to put that
added health to use.
Password: A-3 (blue), C-4 (red), C-5 (red), F-4 (blue), F-5 (red)
==========
Gemini Man
==========
This is one of the most memorable stages in the game, with a cool environment
that feels icy and slimy, yet cool just the same.
From the start, you'll first head right over a series of ledges that span a
bottomless pit. There are a few gaps between solid footing, and you'll want
to time each jump carefully because of the enemies that swarm
overhead. These flying robots look like giant eyes at the center of a
diamond, and they drop walls of flame. Both flame and robots can knock you
into a pit, so the best tactic is to equip the shadow blade and use it for
protection as you press to the right. It also works well on the penguins
that inhabit the area.
When you work right far enough, Proto Man will appear long enough to explode
a cap that blocks a tunnel you need to access. Then, without a word, he'll
leave the scene.
Drop through the newly-opened passage and veer left as you do so, if you'd
like to collect a 1-up icon. When you reach the bottom of the screen, move
to the right and you'll find a bunch of tadpoles trapped in bubbles. One
shot from your arm cannon will burst a bubble and set its tadpole robot free,
while a second shot can dispatch of the robot itself. Break the bubbles so
that they form steps and allow you to access the item canister.
When you've gone as far right as you can, a new ladder will lead you up to
another room of tadpoles you must clear in order to access yet another
ladder, which in turn leads to another batch of the tadpoles. Through this
third set of the tiny robots and their protective bubbles, you'll find a
small gap. Slide through and drop down, then proceed to the right.
Now you get to face some penguin-shaped towers. They have cranks spinning
overhead, and those cranks are the only vulnerable spots on the
machines. However, you can't just repeatedly jump and shoot those, because
the dragonfly robots are flying through the area. Be sure to avoid those,
and also the tiny penguin robots that spew regularly from the base of the
larger penguin towers. The miniature versions fall quickly to single shots
from your arm cannon, and leave behind goodies with some frequency, so you
can use them to refill your depleted life energy if desired.
Past the first penguin tower is a ledge, then a second one of the
towers. Past that, you'll find a ladder that descends into an enemy-free
room, where you can use the Rush Coil ability to grab a large energy
pellet. With that done, drop down to the room below and find yourself at a
stage checkpoint.
The checkpoint is placed quite fortunately, as the area ahead can be somewhat
difficult. Wade out into the waist-deep water, then near the edge use the
Rush Marine ability to turn Rush into a submarine. Push to the right, firing
bullets like mad, until you hit the ledge where the energy tank is
resting. With that collected, quickly move right until the next low ledge
you find.
Once Mega Man lands on the ledge, the Rush Marine ability will be gone (the
meter was likely all but depleted, anyway). Quickly hop right along the
ledges, avoiding the dragonflies that swoop down from above. The puffer-fish
robots are also dangerous, as they discharge missiles when directly below
you. The blast when the missiles strike is enough to knock you off a given
ledge, so it's important to keep moving.
When you progress far enough to the right, you'll be able to collect another
energy tank from a ledge before climbing the ladder that leads to the area
above. In this room, there are two of the robotic rabbits, so take them out
carefully before climbing the ladder at the room's upper left corner.
This new ladder leads to a room where a giant robot is stomping about. Climb
halfway up the ladder, then face right and fire a steady barrage of bullets
from your arm cannon. Most will harmlessly deflect away, but enough will hit
the robot to destroy it without you having to put Mega Man at risk.
When the robot is dead, climb up the ladder, run across the ledge, drop down,
and pass through the gate that leads to the area robot master.
----------
Gemini Man
----------
Meet the franchise's first schizophrenic robot. Gemini Man begins the battle
by splitting into identical twins, which then hop around the room in a
circular fashion. Move out a few steps from the left side of the screen,
then leap over one of the robots as it approaches and follow it toward the
right, throwing search snakes as you do so. A few hits from behind will get
rid of one of the two circling fiends.
With that done, it's time to leap over the second one, then follow it and
throw more search snakes, until both of the two images have succumbed to your
attacks. It's actually a pretty easy battle, so long as you follow that
technique exactly. Don't let yourself get caught in the center of the screen
for long and you'll do fine.
Password: A-3 (blue), B-5 (blue), E-4 (red), F-4 (blue), F-5 (red)
==========
Needle Man
==========
The last of the initial eight robots resides in a fairly simple level made
remarkable only because of the huge spikes and needles found throughout.
Begin by heading to the right, where you'll encounter porcupine-like
robots. They will fire two bursts of needles before rolling into
invulnerable balls and finding a new place from which to attack. Avoid the
spikes, dodge the rolling foes, and move onward. Avoidance truly seems the
best policy.
Past the porcupines is a ladder leading down to another straight
stretch. Take the top path as you head right (the bottom one is a pointless
dead end). You'll soon see a golden dome atop a pillar of the same
color. The dome slides open to reveal a cannon, which you should pelt with
shots from your arm cannon. This machine sends out red balls that do quite a
bit of damage if they connect, so try not to allow the machine time to make
its move.
Past this first dome cannon, you'll find two more, as well as an assortment
of hardhat enemies. Nothing here should be terribly taxing, but the red
balls will definitely bite into your health if you allow yourself to be
careless.
When you reach the end of this segment, there's a ladder that leads down to
the stage's checkpoint. That's right; you're already halfway through. Climb
the ladder down to the lower ledge, and head right.
In this portion of the stage, you'll want to be careful. Reddish spikes will
protrude from the ceiling, then recede, then protrude again in an endless
loop. You'll want to slide through as the needles start to recede, so that
they don't have time to come back out and hit you before you've passed
through. First there's a single needle, then a set of two, and finally a
group of three, but the strategy is the same each time.
Once you're passed the row of three spikes, you'll find a wide, bottomless
gap greeting you. There are three gold-colored ledges suspended over this
pit. Hop out onto the first, and watch the air above the second. There's
another spike there. Wait until it starts to recede, then quickly hop up and
from there, slide over to the third of the ledges. The spike should just
miss you, and you can now safely climb the ladder leading into the next room.
Here, you'll be greeted by another porcupine. Carefully avoid it. The most
likely set of events here is that the porcupine will survive long enough to
roll down to your level. Hop over it and to the ledge it just left, then
turn around and use some well-time search snake shots to put it out of
commission. With the screen clear, you should next use the Rush Coil ability
to hop up to the outcropping in the screen's upper right corner, where
there's an energy tank. Next climb the ladder at the screen's upper left
side.
You're now in a room with two of the projectile-throwing enemies you've
encountered several times thus far. Fortunately, they're easily dispatched
if you climb not quite to the top of the ladder and fire from that safety
point. Continuing upward using the ladder to the upper left side of that
screen, you'll find yourself approached by one of the giant stomping robots.
At this point, your life meter is likely all but empty, so the strategy I
advise is again a careful retreat. Slide under the monstrous machine when it
leaps, then keep moving quickly to the right and through the gate that leads
to the eighth robot master.
----------
Needle Man
----------
Prepare for some slow-down in this battle, as you'll be making use of the
gemini beam. Needle Man doesn't move particularly fast, but he doesn't need
to. Both his body and his attacks will take a large chunk out of your life
meter.
The trick is to fire the gemini beam when it has a good chance of connecting
almost immediately. Otherwise, it will ricochet around the room. Until it
connects, you won't be able to fire another shot. In the meantime, Needle
Man might well finish you off.
For this reason, a bit of caution is advised. It's only going to take four
or five shots with the beam to send Needle Man to the scrap heap, so just
time your shots carefully and try not to let him corner you (he jumps around
a lot, so you can slide under him). Also, remember that he has pretty good
range. Never get too close to him or he'll drop his head and send out the
needle-packed punch from which he derives his name. Eww!
After twenty seconds or so, you should have sent your nemesis to his
grave. Onto the next challenge!
Password: A-3 (blue), B-4 (red), B-5 (blue), D-3 (blue), F-4 (blue) *
* If you would like to use this password, you'll start with three energy
tanks. To start with nine instead, substitute the 'B-4 (red)' with 'A-6
(red)' and you'll do so.
===========================
Doc Robot - Spark Man Stage
===========================
With the eight robot masters all defeated, you will soon find that there are
four more stages before you get to begin your assault on Dr. Wily's
Castle. These are the Doc Robot stages, and are made up of bits and pieces
of stages you've already seen, but with modifications that make them far
deadlier. Not only that, but there are two robot masters in each
stage. Though they don't look different, really, they are taken from Mega
Man 2. Only this time, your selection of weapons is different.
When you begin the revamped Spark Man stage, the first thing you will likely
notice is that the overhead ladder is missing. Lure the suctioned eyeball
down to your level, or jump and hit it from below with shadow blades, then
use Rush Coil to spring up to the above ledge.
Next you'll climb the ladder at the top left side of the screen, and you
should again have shadow blades equipped so that you can take out the robot
that will come scurrying down to greet you.
From the top of this ladder, head right through a hallway that looks familiar
but isn't really. You'll find rotating gears throughout. These can be used
as ledges to reach new heights. Because they spin, though, you'll only want
to hop on them quickly before moving to safer ground. As you use these gears
and proceed to the right, watch out for the spark-emitting enemies that
should already be familiar to you, and watch also for robots that materialize
and join together before gliding toward you (the ones that first greeted you
in Top Man's stage).
There are some bottomless pits along the way, but you shouldn't have much
trouble working your way to the right end of the hallway, where a ladder
leads up into the next room. Here, some gears are suspended over a pit of
spikes. Just hop quickly across to the ladder and this won't be a challenge
at all.
At the top of that ladder, be ready to take out a robot before sliding
through a passage and finding a gate that leads to the first boss robot
encounter in this area.
---------------------
Doc Robot - Metal Man
The best strategy here is to use your regular arm cannon shots. There's
nothing in your inventory that will do a particularly good job of hitting for
more damage, and you really want to work to maintain your distance. It seems
to work best if you are on the far left side of the screen, while Doc Robot
is on the right side chucking metal blades your way.
If you're on the left side, you shouldn't have much trouble dodging each
barrage of blades (they seem to come no more than three to a group), and
you'll also avoid direct contact. Any time you bump Doc Robot (in this stage
or elsewhere), it's going to eat off almost a third of your life meter, so
caution is always good. This particular battle will last a fair while, but
you should come out of it relatively unscathed.
---------------------
With your first Doc Robot encounter ended, it's time to continue
onward. You'll next be able to collect a large energy capsule, before
dropping down a lengthy, spike-lined shaft. The trick is to always stay at
the center as you're falling, so that it's never very hard to dodge out of
the way if the next screen reveals spikes a little closer than you would
like. As always, one touch of the spikes spells the end of Mega Man.
When you reach the bottom of the shaft, you'll continue right through
hallways lined by the security panels that are so fond of generating walls of
electricity. These aren't terribly hard to avoid. In fact, you can
sometimes bring them into view, turn quickly around, then turn around again
and cause the panels to vanish.
Past the panels, you'll find a more formidable challenge in the form of
columns that drop those heavy, instant-death blocks. As before, let one fall
and then quickly pass through to the next ledge. If it's going to be a tight
squeeze, a slide from the top of the first block to fall will typically carry
you to safety.
When you get past the crumbling blocks, you'll find the gate leading to this
area's second Doc Robot encounter.
---------------------
Doc Robot - Quick Man
Though the regular arm cannon worked wonders against this guy in Mega Man 2,
a more useful approach this time around is the search snake. If you get near
enough to lob a few of the snakes at your opponent, you'll find his life
drains quite rapidly. Alternatively, you can use the gemini beam, though a
miss with that weapon is more devastating.
Since Doc Robot moves so quickly, it's quite likely you'll suffer a fair
amount of damage. As usual, your best defense is a solid offense. Also, be
careful to avoid what boomerang shots you can, though at least they are
preferable to direct contact (and may in fact work in your favor by making
you invulnerable for a brief moment).
---------------------
When the battle with the second Doc Robot ends, you'll have completed the
level and the game will award you your new password.
Password: A-1 (red), A-3 (blue), B-5 (blue), D-2 (red), D-3 (blue), F-4
(blue)
============================
Doc Robot - Gemini Man Stage
============================
Your second visit to the Gemini Man stage is going to be quite a bit more
challenging than the first, primarily because of the opening area.
As before, you should begin by equipping the shadow blade. Working to the
right, you'll see that the floating eye robots now drop ice columns instead
of fire. Otherwise, their attack pattern hasn't changed. What has changed
is the number of robots. There are far more of them before. Not only that,
but there are a lot more holes in the ground. It's easy to get knocked back
into a pit if you're not carefully making each jump. As a general rule,
don't make most jumps until you've only just defeated a robot. Then quickly
jump and be prepared for another to take its place.
The flying enemies aren't your only concern, either. There are others that
race along the ground, and they'll just as easily send you to your doom if
you're not watching your step.
When you reach the end of this area, you can quickly drop down the pit and to
a series of tadpoles encased in bubbles. This time around, don't just take
the easy route and go along the bottom; the first set of bubbles will send
you to a pit of spikes if you try that. Instead, climb partway up through
the bubbles, then slide through. The second and third groups of bubbles
present no particular threat, so you shouldn't have trouble passing through
those.
Beyond the bubbles, you'll find the gate leading to your first Doc Robot
encounter for this stage.
---------------------
Doc Robot - Flash Man
When you enter this battle, ready the Needle Cannon and start firing for all
you're worth the minute it's possible to do so. Doc Robot will start a slow
march toward you, and you'll want to have most of his life gone by the time
he reaches you.
When he's neared the edge of the screen, it's time to switch positions while
continuing the barrage of needle shots. This battle should be short if
you're doing things right, even if Doc Robot pauses to freeze you in mid-
stride. Whatever you do, don't lose, or you'll be sent back to the very
beginning of the stage.
---------------------
Once you've kicked the first Doc Robot where it hurts, you can proceed
through the rest of the stage, which is easier than the first portion was.
Jump over the first pit you see, and keep working to the right until you find
yourself at the pool of water. Drop down there, then switch to the Rush
Marine ability. Now you need to zip along just beneath the surface of the
water, shooting at any robots that come near. Whenever you approach a ledge
with a special weapons refill, leap out of the water long enough to grab it
before plunging back into the icy soup.
Keep working right, firing to prevent yourself from striking approaching
enemies. You'll soon reach a wall, with only a narrow gap at the
bottom. Switch off the Rush Marine adaptor and slide through the opening.
Once you're on the other side, leap up to the ladder and climb your way to
the next screen. As you proceed right along this corridor, be careful to
watch for holes in the ceilings. Robotic bugs emerge from these with
alarming frequency. They're easily taken care of with single shots from the
arm cannon, but you're life will be drained down to nothing if you get lazy.
Soon, you should make it to the ladder on the opposite end of the
hallway. Start down it and from there look to the left. There are two holes
in the ceiling here, but you can fire at the bugs as they appear from your
vantage point on the ladder. In fact, I would advise that you do so long
enough to generate a few energy power-ups and maybe even some 1-up icons.
When you're mostly restored, go ahead and cross over to the ladder on the
screen's lower left side, and descend to the next screen. Now just cross
over to the gate that leads to Doc Robot.
----------------------
Doc Robot - Bubble Man
If you played Mega Man 2, you should be ready for this encounter. The
strategy really hasn't changed. Just whip out your shadow blade, get near
enough to do some damage, and let loose.
As Bubble Man, Doc Robot can float around quite a bit. When he does, try and
get beneath him. His torpedoes can't hit you then, and since he's rising in
a vertical column, it's easy to get in several hits before he descends. Easy
enough, in fact, that you might be able to finish him off while only taking
two or three hits.
----------------------
Two of the four Doc Robot stages are out of the way, but you're only halfway
through. Time to tackle the next one.
Password: A-1 (red), A-3 (blue), B-5 (blue), B-6 (red), D-2 (red), D-3
(blue), F-4 (blue)
============================
Doc Robot - Shadow Man Stage
============================
Maybe it's just me, but the re-visit of Shadow Man's domain doesn't seem
significantly harder than it was the first time around.
Start by falling down the same shafts you did the last time you came here,
only this time the hazard is the spike-lined walls. When you're nearing the
bottom, make sure you're not close against the left wall; the floor there has
spikes covering it.
When you land at the bottom of the shaft, it should be around three or four
strides to the right of the left wall. To your right, you'll see a
mechanical rabbit hopping your direction. Take it out with a few arm cannon
shots, then hop right and over the bottomless pit there. Next you'll find a
ladder, lined by spikes.
Here, it's easy to jump too high and hit a spike because you're slightly off-
center. Instead of doing that, make a short hop just high enough that you
grab the bottom of the ladder. Now climb straight up it and you won't have
to worry about the spikes. Above, one of the suctioned eyes is likely in the
way, so hit it with a shadow blade, walk across the ledge it occupied, then
climb down the next ladder.
From there, climb down yet another ladder, into a room with one of the giant,
stomping robots. Slide under it and drop down the pit on the screen's left
side, then head back to the right. You'll find a series of ledges rising up
like a staircase. Take out more suctioned eyes and climb to the top, then
hop over the gap to the right.
In this area, there's one of the bulbs that makes the room dark. There also
are four ledges, red in color. Stepping on these causes them to buckle under
your weight, but they're good for quick hops. Hop along them and from the
fourth ledge (the highest) jump out to the right as far as you can to land on
a new ledge. Walk along and take out any enemy you may encounter, until you
find yourself looking over another bottomless pit and a second series of
collapsing ledges.
Leap out onto the first, trying to land as far toward the right portion as
possible, then hop quickly across those ledges and to safe ground on the
opposite side of the black pit. Then proceed right yet again, blasting any
robots that get in your way, until you come to a ladder you can descend.
The next room should have some robots you can blast that hopefully will leave
behind a few energy pellets. Then you're at the gate to the first Doc Robot
encounter.
--------------------
Doc Robot - Wood Man
This fight is actually quite simple. First, switch to the Needle
Cannon. The way Doc Robot attacks now is by throwing a set of four leaves to
the ceiling while more leaves encircle him as a shield.
Position yourself so that when the leaves fall, you'll be safe between the
first and second leaf, and watch the shield around Doc Robot. When he tosses
it, jump over it and start firing your needle cannon. You should get in
quite a few hits, around one fourth to a third of his life meter.
The pattern will now repeat. When the leaf shield falls away again, you
should have over half the robot's life. Again, he'll throw up more leaves
and use the shield. This time, be prepared to slide under him when he throws
his shield and hops toward you, then turn to fire needles from behind. Once
the leaf shield comes up again, run to the opposite side of the screen (it
should be the screen's right side, now), and be prepared for the leaf shield
to fall away again so that you can finish the job. The battle is harder than
the similar encounter in the original Mega Man 2 cartridge, but still not
overly difficult.
--------------------
With the first Doc Robot encounter out of the way, it's time to head for the
second. You'll find a large energy capsule in the next hallway, and beyond
that a series of hellish jumps that will likely trip you up the first time
you attempt them.
To survive this dangerous crossing, you'll want to equip the shadow
blades. As you cross each pit, be prepared to throw a blade in mid-air to
take out the parachuting robot, then chuck another as you land so that you
take out the rabbit that hops along these ledges. Repeat the pattern all the
way across the lava, until you reach the other side.
Now you should encounter a red-capped spring robot that fires magnetic
missiles. Take out the robot and its missiles with more shadow blades, then
proceed to the second Doc Robot encounter.
--------------------
Doc Robot - Heat Man
Hopefully, you've still got a decent supply of shadow blades left, because
that's the weapon of choice when dealing with this fiend.
As Heat Man, Doc Robot first throws a triple column of fire, then starts to
flicker and blazes toward you. He's immune when in this condition, so wait
for him to stop before countering with some shadow blade shots. He'll then
repeat his pattern, so you'll want to be prepared to go through the necessary
motions throughout the remainder of the fight. You may need to use an energy
tank near the end.
--------------------
And so you've tackled three of the four Doc Robot stages, and only one
remains. Time to pay another visit to Needle Man's former abode.
Password: A-1 (blue), A-3 (blue), B-5 (blue), B-6 (red), C-1 (red), D-3
(blue), F-4 (blue)
============================
Doc Robot - Needle Man Stage
============================
The final Doc Robot stage you should attempt is quite difficult, but nothing
you won't be able to handle by now. Just be prepared for a challenging Rush
Jet segment a little over halfway through.
Before you get there, though, you'll have the first third or so of the level
to deal with. Begin by heading right, past a series of porcupine
robots. Most of them are at ground level, and thus easily tended to with a
barrage of arm cannon shots. Beyond those, you'll find a ladder leading down
to a series of spike rooms.
This portion should be familiar to you from the previous play through the
area, but it's still enough to give a challenge. Work hard to avoid letting
them hit you, and remember to slide as the first one is most of the way
through receding to avoid the second spike in most groups.
Beyond the rooms of spikes, there's a ladder leading up to a room with one of
the red-capped springs. Shadow blades are handy here, as they can easily
turn the robot to scrap metal and block any missiles that may be headed your
way. Once that's tended to, go ahead and climb the ladder on the screen's
left side.
At the top of this ladder, use the Rush Coil to reach the next ladder, and
climb it to find the gate that leads to the area's first encounter with Doc
Robot.
-------------------
Doc Robot - Air Man
The weapon of choice for this battle is the spark shot. However, you won't
normally be able to get in a clear shot because Doc Robot sends out gusts of
air in various formations.
What you'll need to do is jump over or slide under various air gusts, then
counter with the spark shot. It's going to take a fair number of hits,
especially if you fire in rapid succession, but once you get an opening Doc
Robot will go down swiftly.
-------------------
Now for the last leg of your journey through this stage. It's the tough
part, too, so buckle up.
From the encounter with Doc Robot, walk just to the right and you'll find
yourself staring out at a vast, empty space. Switch to the Rush Jet and
start the trek across. The whole time, you'll be pestered by descending
parachutes and dragonfly enemies.
For me, the best technique was to spend most of the time crossing the gap at
about halfway up the screen. I mostly tended toward the high side, so that
the parachutes ahead of me would drop below me quite quickly. However, the
dragonflies mean that you have to change elevation frequently to avoid
excessive damage. Not only that, but the Rush Jet only has so much
energy. Because of that, you'll have to make pit stops at certain ledges to
refill its meter.
It's a challenge, but you should be able to reach the ladder at the other
side of the pit in pretty good shape. Once you do, climb the ladder and
you'll find a special item refill, which you should use to recharge your
jet's energy. Now use the jet again and ride it up to the ladder at the
upper left side of the screen.
Climb the ladder to its top, then switch to the shadow blade, which you'll
want equipped right up to the moment you find the gate that leads to Doc
Robot.
As you press to the right now, you'll encounter a lot of hardhat enemies of
various size. First you will run into a monstrous machine that rises from
the ground. It is vulnerable only where you see the red cross, so be ready
to move in quick and toss a flurry of shadow blades in that general
vicinity. The weapon also does a fine job of taking out any miniature
hardhat foes that race toward you at ground level.
Past the first giant hardhat, you'll find some more of the miniature
fellows. They glide around in the air, somehow, but still succumb quite
easily to shots from the shadow blade. Also, there are more of the domed
cannons. Again, you'll be amazed by how effectively shadow blades work
here. They should take you right through to a second one of the giant
hardhat machines.
Beyond the second of the hardhats, it's only a short jaunt to the gate that
leads to the final Doc Robot encounter.
---------------------
Doc Robot - Crash Man
Remember this guy from Mega Man 2? This time around, you don't have the air
cyclone on your side. Instead, you'll have to use the hard knuckle.
Doc Robot will hop around the screen a lot, but for me the simplest strategy
was just to stay at the very lower left of the screen and fire a series of
hard knuckle shots. Since he moves around so much and the knuckle attack
itself is quite slow-paced, Doc Robot did himself in while I supplied only
four or five shots with the hard knuckle. This is quite possibly the
simplest of the Doc Robot encounters.
---------------------
At last, you've done it. The Doc Robot stages were no match for your
skillful abilities, and a new hazard will appear on the screen where formerly
Mega Man's head rested.
Password: A-1 (blue), A-3 (blue), B-2 (blue), B-4 (red), B-5 (blue), D-3
(blue), F-4 (blue)
=========
Break Man
=========
With Doc Robot out of the way, you will now face Proto Man. That's his name
in later Mega Man games, but here he is called 'Break Man' instead.
You've been fighting him throughout the game thus far, and the strategy
hasn't changed significantly. This fight is actually almost easy, in fact.
Just stand on the central area and shoot him as he walks back and forth. The
only time you should stop shooting is when you turn to slide under him as he
approaches from either direction. Then it's back to shooting.
Though he doesn't have a life meter, you should find that it won't take long
to hit him with enough force that he leaves the scene. You're now ready to
begin the assault on Dr. Wily's castle. The password immediately below is
the last you'll be able to use, and starts you at the front gates with nine
energy tanks.
Password: A-1 (blue), A-3 (blue), A-6 (red), B-2 (blue), B-5 (blue), D-3
(blue), E-1 (red), F-4 (blue)
===============
Skull Castle #1
===============
The first stage in Dr. Wily's castle really isn't terribly difficult, if you
just take it at a leisurely pace. It might even give you false hope that the
last leg of your journey will be a breeze.
From the start, head right over a series of ledges. Here, you'll find two of
the top-spewing monsters from Top Man's stage, so climb the steps carefully
and take them out as possible. From there, continue to the right to the
ladder. Stand on the ladder and from there jump to the right to collect the
energy tank before dropping into the pit.
You're now in an underground sewer of sorts. Progression to the right is
hindered by shallow recessed lined by spikes. If this feels dangerous, don't
worry; it's not. Just make leaps over the gaps, shooting the fish that will
fly toward you from the right as you go. If you take a hit and fall on the
spikes, you should be able to jump away before any permanent damage is done.
On the opposite side of the pool of water, you can leap out and onto dry
land. From there, climb a ladder that leads up to the next screen. There,
you'll find a 1-up icon sitting pretty behind some greenish walls. Switch to
the hard knuckle to take out the walls, then drop into the opening to collect
the icon. Now slide left and climb up that ladder, into the next screen.
Once more, you're at a screen with those lovely green walls, and you can
again destroy them with hard knuckle shots. Here, you should see another
energy tank resting on the high ledge above, so go ahead and grab it if you
need it (though if you used the password provided earlier, you should already
have a full reserve of them).
When you've collected any goodies that appeal to you, climb the ladder on the
screen's left side into the next room. To the right, you'll see one of the
projectile-slinging foes. Make sure you don't climb to the very top of the
ladder. Instead, hang on it and use arm cannon shots to take out your
foe. Now you can go ahead and crest the ladder, then from there hop up to
the ledge to your upper right. Now slide under the low ledge there and press
right so that you land on the lower ledge, then repeat the action to land
where your opponent stood a moment before. Continue right and there will be
two more of the fellows to take out.
The second of those projectile-slinging guys is standing on a high ledge you
can't quite reach without the Rush Coil. Switch to the magnet missiles and
fire as he's open, and two direct hits will finish him off. Then it's safe
to use the Rush Coil to spring up to that ledge, and to climb the ladder into
the next room.
Now you're in one of the most potentially dangerous segments of the
level. There are disappearing/reappearing blocks here, over a pit of
spikes. Not pretty. If you watch, you should get a feel for the first
three, which lead conveniently up to solid ground where an energy capsule is
resting. You want to hop up to the third block, then slide under the first
barrier to where the energy waits. From there, watch the pattern again. You
should get a feel for when a block appears directly under the ladder on the
left side of the screen. When it's just about to appear, slide under the low
wall that stands in your way, land on the block and quickly jump to the
safety of the ladder.
Climb the ladder up to the next room, then walk to the right (you can spring
up to collect the special weapon refills if you really want) and through the
gate that leads to the area boss.
------------------
The Turtle Machine
------------------
This is quite possibly the easiest boss battle in the game. Just stand along
the bottom floor with shadow blades equipped. The machine at the top of the
room will send out turtles to hit you.
Move back and forth, throwing your shadow blades upward to hit the turtles as
they appear. One hit will eliminate any given turtle and remove a good chunk
of the machine's life meter. There will only be a few of the turtles before
suddenly you've won the battle. You may not even suffer a hit!
===============
Skull Castle #2
===============
The second stage in the castle is blessedly short, like its companions, but
that doesn't mean it's a walk in the park.
When you first appear, you'll be on collapsing ledges. You can climb these
to the top portion of the screen, then climb up the ladder on either
side. When you reach the top of the ladders, you can then drop down to
collect special weapon refills if you desire, or you can just get on with the
assault on the castle.
Once you're ready, work up the right side of the screen, until you see a thin
ledge leading to a ladder on the screen's left side. Cross over to that
ladder and climb up it. You'll now be facing a narrow sliding space, with
green-colored tiles that indicate there are those steel traps you're familiar
with from Hard Man's stage.
Slide through the opening and you're now looking over a field of spikes with
trap-colored ledges leading across. Switch to shadow blades for this part,
then hop quickly across the gaps. When you reach a fairly wide ledge between
two traps, throw the shadow blade up at the bee that swoops in, so it's
destroyed before it can attack. Then start hopping along more ledges that
lead to the right. About two ledges in, there will be another of the bees,
so be prepared to take it out with another shadow blade as you hop toward the
right.
The next time you encounter a safe ledge, just right of the last of the
green-colored traps, it's time to switch to the Rush Jet adaptor and, with
that done, ride toward the right. Your jet can take you from one special
item refill to the next, and you should soon come to solid ground in front of
a gate leading to the area boss.
-----------------
The Stone Cyclops
-----------------
If you played the original Mega Man, you will be familiar with this
guy. When the battle first begins, step to about the middle of the screen
and keep an eye to your left. Chunks of debris will start flying to the
right. Be prepared to jump the ones that come at ground level, and to slide
over those that are higher.
When the pieces finish, a robot will have assembled itself. It is a stone
cyclops, and you should see a patch of discoloration that will soon become an
eye. Hopefully, you're only a short distance away from the robot. Jump and
fire a hard knuckle at the eye, land, then jump and fire again. If you work
quickly, you can get in two hits before the robot starts to fall apart.
Now the pieces will glide over to the other side of the screen. They will do
so in one of two possible patterns. One is a duplicate of the robot's
entering effect, while the other consists of pieces bouncing about like beach
balls. Either way, you want to be near the robot's feet when it all ends so
that you can get in your two hits before repeating. After about three or
four such cycles (don't be afraid to use an energy tank or two if you must),
you should have done enough damage that the robot will be defeated.
===============
Skull Castle #3
===============
The third stage in the castle isn't terribly remarkable, but you may still
find yourself short on life when you reach its end thanks to the giant
stomping robots in the last few passages.
When you first appear, you should immediately switch weapons to the shadow
blade. There's an enemy directly overhead, so jump up and toss a blade or
two its way and you'll put it out of commission. With that tended to, Rush
Coil up to the ledge it occupied, and from there hop left. You're now
standing below a ladder. Switch back to shadow blade, then climb up the
ladder into the next room. There, hit another enemy from below with the
blade. Now switch back to Rush Coil and spring up to that ledge, and from
there hop right and then back left to the ladder suspended from the top
center of the screen.
At the top of this ladder, slide under the space to your right and collect an
energy tank. Then slide back left and use the Rush Coil ability to get on
top of that ledge.
From here out, you'll only need to be armed with the regular arm
cannon. Work your way right and you'll see various bulbs in various
recesses. Drop down to their level so that you can take them out as you go,
and work toward the right. The grenade-shaped robots are in evidence, as you
might have expected, so be sure to take them out with your arm cannon before
they get close enough to cause you harm.
You'll soon reach the right edge of the room, where you can drop down a
pit. Do so, and fall straight down, past where a projectile-slinging robot
waits. Drop down the new opening on the screen's left side, and you're
halfway to the end of the stage.
Now you will need to work to the right, past two giant, stomping
robots. It's hard to slide under them without suffering damage, as they're
so huge and the space is so small. Try and take them out first, but make a
run for it if you suffer a hit.
Beyond the two robots, a ladder leads up to the next room. Here, you will
see a ladder near the top left side of the screen. Spikes line most of the
floor. To reach the ladder, you must hop up moving ledges and ride to the
ladder. It's not terribly hard if you move quickly and get a feel for the
speed at which they move. The next room is more of the same, and after that
you'll find yourself in a new room with some item canisters above.
Use the Rush Coil ability to spring up to that platform and collect the
goodies in the canisters, then drop back down and head right through the door
that leads to the boss encounter.
----------------
The Three Clones
----------------
This fight isn't terribly difficult, but you'll possibly need to use an
energy tank to survive it. There are three levels in the room. The first is
the floor level, and there are blocks that allow you to access two higher
ledges.
On each ledge, you'll soon see a clone of Mega Man. Only one of these three
is weak to your arm cannon shots, and the weakness switches from one clone to
another each time they pass over the transporters and swap locations (though
sometimes, the 'same' robot will be vulnerable two rounds in a row).
No one robot is vulnerable for very long, but your arm cannon shots do quite
a bit of damage. Unfortunately, the three robots each fire two shots during
each round, and those shots are fairly hard to avoid. So you'll want to
quickly determine which robot is weak (it's usually one of the bottom two,
with the middle one being the most likely bet, so far as I could tell) and
let loose with a spray of bullets once you're sure.
The fight shouldn't last terribly long, and then it'll be onto the next
portion of Skull Castle.
===============
Skull Castle #4
===============
Though short, this stage can be a real pain in the butt. From the start, you
should first collect any special item refills that prove necessary. When
you're ready, go ahead and drop down the shaft and aim left.
When you land, immediately let loose with a spray of arm cannon fire. The
robot to the left will chuck a huge block at you if given the chance, and it
does quite a bit of damage to your weak armor. Once you've taken him out,
drop down to the next room below.
Here, you can slide and press to the right to land on a ledge and refill
special weapons energy again. Also, you can collect energy pellets to
replace any damage dealt by the robot in the previous room. Just watch out
for the spikes that line the floor on the left side, here.
When you're ready, climb down the ladder on the room's right side, and you'll
find yourself in a room with another of the block-heaving robots. Take him
out quickly to avoid more damage than necessary, then drop down again and
you'll once more be facing one of the block heavers. Defeat him and start
right again, and yet another will appear. Take this fellow out like you did
his companions, and then you'll be safe to descend to the next room.
Here, you should just work around the ledge, to the gate on the lower right
side. There aren't any enemies in this room, thankfully, so you don't have
to move cautiously.
-----------------
The Robot Masters
-----------------
Through the gate is a short hall and a transporter device that leads to a new
room where you will find eight transporters. They each lead to robot masters
you've already defeated. Now you must defeat them again, and after each one
you beat, you'll get a large energy capsule before choosing the next robot
you wish to fight. It's a good idea to spread out the easy and hard ones, so
you don't have to dip into your energy tank reserves much between
rounds. The chart below indicates which robot is where:
[1] [8] 1 - Needle Man 6 - Shadow Man
2 - Magnet Man 7 - Spark Man
[2] [7] 3 - Gemini Man 8 - Snake Man
4 - Hard Man
[3][4][5][6] 5 - Top Man
When you defeat the eight robots, you can pass through the gate on the lower
right side of the screen, collect some special item refills, then pass
through the transporter to head to the castle's next area.
===============
Skull Castle #5
===============
When this stage begins, you're in a room with special item refills and item
canisters. Collect any goodies you need, and then you can drop down to the
room immediately below. Guess what? You're already to this stage's boss!
-----------
Spider Tank
-----------
You've finally made it to Dr. Wily, it would seem. When the battle first
starts, stand along the left side of the screen. A giant tank will plod onto
the screen, held up by pin-shaped appendages. The first target is the cannon
attached to the machine's belly. You can take it out with well-aimed
flurries of fire from your standard arm cannon.
By the time the machine is at the screen's center, you should have laid waste
to its life meter. Once the meter is empty, the bubble over the top of the
machine will pop off. Slide under the robot leg and stand directly below the
bubble, then just start chucking shadow blades upward. They should make
quick work of the second life meter.
Note that you may need to use an energy tank if your life runs low during the
process. But if you work quickly, one tank is all that will be
necessary. When you win, you'll find that a robot was at the
controls. There's one more stage to go before the game's closing credits.
===============
Skull Castle #6
===============
And now, you're truly at the final stage of the game. It's been a long trip,
but this is where Dr. Wily finally gets his due. You'll appear in a room
just left of where the battle appears, and an energy tank will be up on a
ledge above. Use the Rush Jet to fly up and grab it. Also, check the
contents of the canisters, as they sometimes contain energy tanks. Finally,
refill your shadow blade and search snake. If this isn't possible, note that
you should die all your lives and continue the stage fresh, with your meters
charged, rather than wasting energy tanks on a lost cause.
Ready to go, then? Good. Step through the gate and prepare for the final
battle.
-------------------
Peace-Keeping Robot
-------------------
Dr. Wily had talked about a peace-keeping robot, but it was only a ruse to
get his associate to create a weapon of destruction. Now you get to fight
that robot.
Fortunately, the battle is a lot simpler than you might anticipate. When it
starts, run under the center portion of the robot. Directly above you, a
robot should be perched, firing shots. They will arc almost directly down,
so just move slightly left and right while making small hops and tossing
shadow blades upward.
When half the robot's life meter is drained, a horned cap will descend. Dr.
Wily is seated in a bubble within that cap, but it's vulnerable only to
attacks from above. At this time, a spiked fist will come out from the right
side of the screen. Jump to avoid the spikes, and land on the flat portion
of the hand, above the spikes. From there, as the hand starts to recede,
jump up to the set of blocks to the right.
From this series of blocks, you can jump outward and toss search snake
shots. Move carefully. There shouldn't be any reason to fall down to the
ground level again. Just hop outward from the block closest to Dr. Wily's
bubble, toss a search snake or two, then land back on the edge of the block
and repeat. You'll make short work of the remainder of the life meter, and
then the screen will flash and you'll be watching the closing story sequence
and game credits.
==========
Conclusion
==========
After a long journey, Mega Man has finally defeated Dr. Wily and his robots
for a third time. Peace is restored to the world. But is the journey
over? Of course it's not! If you had a great time, why stop there? Go back
through and try tackling the robots in a different order. Play through
without using any energy tanks (a daunting challenge, to be sure). Or, if
you haven't done so already, check out some of the other titles in the
franchise. There are quite a few of them, after all. And since they're
being re-released soon on the GameCube and Playstation 2 (with improved
visuals, no less), there's no longer any excuse to hold back on playing
them. Happy gaming!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
================
Acknowledgements
================
Thanks for reading this guide! I played through each level as I wrote this,
and I think that shows in the way the guide is written. The passwords
provided are mine, too. In short, I made this on my own and I hope you enjoy
it. I know there are a lot of FAQs available online for this game, so thanks
for choosing mine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
==================
Copyright Concerns
==================
Copyright 2004 Jason Venter
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright.